Backup Prevention Tips

A property owner can help prevent the lateral and village main from backing up. Being careful about disposal of certain products will make the systems more efficient, cause fewer backups, cost less money, and prevent a lot of clean-up.

Grease

Washing grease down the drain with hot water is not satisfactory. Pour cooking oil into a container and throw it in the garbage. If grease goes down the drain, cools off, and solidifies in the drain, the property owner's line, or in the Village main the line will constrict and eventually clog.

Illegal Plumbing Connections

Do not connect French drains or sump pumps to your sanitary sewer. It is illegal, and debris and silt will clog your line. Consult a plumber to correct any illegal connections.

Needles

Please do not flush needles! The presence of needles in the wastewater collection system presents special and possible deadly problems for Sewer Utility employees. Please dispose of needles by re-capping and put it into a "sharps container". (This could be any rigid plastic container such as a bleach bottle. Not milk bottles) When it is full, tape the container securely, and call your local pharmacy for advice on proper disposal methods. Please do not flush or throw them into the garbage.

Paper Products

Paper towels, diapers, disposable 'wipes' and feminine products cause problems in the lateral and Village main. Dispose these products in the garbage. They do not deteriorate as quickly and get lodged in the lateral / main, and cause a sewer backup.

Roots

Shrubs and tree roots will make their way into sewer line cracks causing extensive damage. Roots start out small getting into a small crack in the pipe, and grow. Larger roots will break the line, which allows debris to get in and cause a backup. One way to prevent this is to replace the line and tap with new plastic pipe. Be careful about planting shrubs and trees around your sewer line. Also, cut tree roots periodically.

Sewer Odor

There are many ways to prevent a sewer odor from occurring. Under each drain in your plumbing system, there is a "P-Trap". If there is water in this fitting, odors or gases from the sewer cannot enter through the drain from either the property owner's lateral or the Village main. Check to make sure that unused floor drains and sinks have water in the "P-Trap". Also, ensure that roof vents are free from bird nests, leaves, etc. Clear vents allow sewer odors to escape.